The liturgical chants in this recording—originally released by Monitor Records in 1994—come from the monastic tradition of medieval Bulgaria and are sung in Old Church Slavonic, the earliest recorded language of the Slavic peoples. The chants are performed a capella by the Ivan Koukouzel Angeloglassny (Ivan Koukouzel the Angel-Voiced) Ensemble, named after the renowned 14th-century Bulgarian composer. Two of his compositions are included in this album (tracks 6 and 7). The ensemble’s director, Tanya Christova, is a Bulgarian music scholar who has compiled early Slavic chants from throughout Bulgaria and transcribed them into modern notation. Brief liner notes provide background information on this singing tradition.
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